| It happens very often. A hotel starts with GDS | | | | Depending on the quality of the representation, lots of |
| Connectivity, and then sits back. The hotel waits the 6 | | | | work and thought will go into the revenue |
| or 12 months of the initial contract, and then calls its | | | | management. But if you as a hotel marketing manager |
| representative to say: "We do not get any | | | | do not your part of the work, this representative can |
| reservations, we want to cancel." | | | | only do or mean so much. |
| Because often it is not understood that this | | | | In the end, it is the hotel that is the pilot. Opening and |
| connectivity is a marketing tool. As with any tool, it | | | | closing availability, offering different rate plans, learning |
| needs to be used. Compare it to buying a car. You | | | | to play with these rate plans... All that might seem |
| can buy a Mercedes, or a Rolls for that matter, and | | | | difficult or confusing in the beginning. But the more you |
| there it is, a shiny status symbol at the front door. But if | | | | start to understand the possibilities, the more you will |
| you do not use it, or didn't even know you needed a | | | | start to like to know more, experiment more, until it |
| drivers license, do you think: "It's useless"? | | | | becomes a passion. |
| A good GDS representative will always offer you a | | | | Do not see that part of marketing as work. In my |
| training. They will tell you how to manage the system | | | | experience it were always those hotels that were |
| and how to make the most of it. Never hesitate to ask | | | | enthused, that almost saw it as a game of Monopoly, |
| for that training. And, if you did not understand it the | | | | that got the best results. Being on the GDS gives a |
| first time round, ask for a second training. | | | | hotel world wide exposure to almost up to 400.000 |
| Any representative will always be more than happy to | | | | travel agents, so it is a wonderful marketing tool. But |
| provide you with that training. Because the better you | | | | never forget it is just that, a tool, so it is in your best |
| understand how it works, the more reservations you | | | | interest as a hotel to actually to start understanding it, |
| will attract, and that again is very good for the | | | | and using it. |
| representative. | | | | |